My mother works at Imperial

Because I went to the College nursery from a really young age, I spent a lot of time in my mother’s office, and in the Science Museum. While I knew she was working in science, I never got a clear explanation of what she was doing. She said it was too complicated to explain, which was probably true! Because of the nursery’s connection to Imperial, a lot of the other kids I grew up with had parents who were also scientists, so it wasn’t until I went to primary school that I needed an explanation to tell my friends. To this day, the easiest answer is that mum and dad are both scientists, and then if I have to go further, it’s solid state physics.

Over time, my view of what she does has changed. When I was younger I was more aware that she just worked incredibly hard and I have a memory of asking her why I didn’t have any brothers and sisters, and why I went to nursery aged 6 months – unlike my cousins. Now I simply have the most enormous respect for what she’s doing and what she’s achieved. It’s incredible how much she does and the way she manages to balance everything. She’s taught me how to be independent and stand on my own two feet, a really important life lesson.

If I were talking to a young child, I would say that for one thing, it makes you independent. If they were worried, I would just tell them to talk it through with their mother and as they get older they will really start to see her as a role model – and begin to see the real benefits of having your parents out a lot of the time! My mother has given me a real inspiration in how I want to live my life, and it’s particularly important for boys to see their mothers working – it makes for a much better attitude towards women.

But my main theme would be that your mother’s doing what she does out of love for you and love for her work: she wants a career but she also wants to provide.

Georgina was a sixth form student at the time of writing and is now a civil servant with the Scottish Government. Georgina's mother is Lesley Cohen, Professor of Solid State Physics in Imperial's Department of Physics. Lesley joined Imperial in 1991 as a postdoctoral researcher, going on to win a Royal Society University Research Fellowship in 1993. She became a professor in 2006 and was Head of Experimental Solid State Physics from 2008 until 2014, and a Consul for the Faculty of Natural Sciences for 2016-17. She gave birth to Georgina in 1998.

I was probably about ten or eleven when I started to truly understand my mother’s role at Imperial and the Hammersmith Hospital. She often worked late and was away a good deal so that naturally makes you curious as a child. My dad also worked in the medical industry so conversation naturally gravitated towards medicine, research and haematology. I think when you have a job like that its hard not to bring that home with you in some way and that led to me and my sister knowing more about haematology than your average eleven year olds.

Looking back, I would say my mother’s work gave me a fantastic insight not only into the wonderful institution that is the NHS, but also the key role that universities and research play in developing treatment for a whole range of diseases. Equally her work gave me a huge respect for women at a young age, particularly in leadership positions. I’m sure I would have understood this later but for me it was ingrained from the word go. As a teenager it was incredibly helpful to have that sort of role model – it gave me a work ethic and drive to get on.

I would like to add that my dad was always there to put in the hours for me which really helped, given my mother’s workload. Without him taking that role, I think she would have felt that much more pressured and it would have been harder for her to have achieved what she did. So he’s a special man and when I talk to her about it, that always comes through as absolutely key.

If I was talking to a child worried about their mother going out to work, I would say something along the lines of this: they’re not going to be away for ever, they’re doing something really important and she could be making a great difference to society. But when push comes to shove, if you need your mum, she’s going to be there for you.

James now works in finance. Jane came first to the Royal Postgraduate Medical School in 1984, re-joining as a senior lecturer after the birth of James in 1992. James's sister was born in 1995 whilst Jane was building a translational research programme in leukaemia and stem cell transplantation. She was the Chair of the Centre for Haematology at Imperial, and the Clinical Director for Haematology at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust from 2003 until 2021. In 2017 she was elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences and she is now the Faculty of Medicine Campus Director for the Hammersmith and White City Campus.